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Today’s cars, tomorrow’s legacies
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The vintage cars fielded by Volkswagen Group China in Classic Cars Challenge China were certainly an illustrious part of the rally. Aside from the 1955 Bentley S1, the entries included a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, a 1974 Volkswagen Scirocco, which won the first prize in the two-week rally, and a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2.
Behind the wheels of this team was Markus Nels, director of sports car project at Volkswagen Group China. After the awards ceremony, he shared with Shanghai Daily a few thoughts on the event and the emerging classic car trend in China.
Besides prizes, what do you think was the biggest achievement Volkswagen made during this challenge?
You are right. It is not only about prizes. It is also about the recognition, the people cheering along the way. You can feel the great weight of heritage. For example, this first generation of Scirocco is like a cousin of the Santana. And on the journey, the Bentley S1 was followed by a modern Bentley, the new Flying Spur, and the 911 Carrera 3.2 is very similar to the latest 911 model, though the technology has obviously advanced.
Cars are built with legacies. It is very important for us make a point of that, especially here in China, where history goes back further than in Europe. It makes people proud, and it helps them understand where we are going in the future.
Many Chinese say that classic cars are a better investment than gold. Would you agree?
I think investing in old cars is like investing in other things. You have to make sure you put money on the right things. If they have what it takes to become prominent heritage, like those so-called icons, then, yes, it is a very wise investment. Prices of vintage cars have risen quite a bit in the last 10 years. We are closely observing the Chinese market. At this point, it is not easy to import old cars into the country, but that might change in the future.
If you think about the mass-production of cars in China, which started 30 years ago, it would be logical to say that in the next decade, there will be many cars entering a stage of becoming potentially classic. The development of a classic car culture is driven by the enthusiasm of people who want to preserve these cars. There is a Chinese guy who brought his Audi 100, the first Audi model made in China, to the challenge. Being a twentysomething, it is relatively young compared to its rivals. We hope he can keep this car and the history it represents alive.
What kind of cars can be called iconic?
Usually, there must be something special about them, either technical features or design. And most iconic cars are low in production numbers. In the Volkswagen Group, we have quite a few such icons. The Beetle is the icon of the Volkswagen brand. And there is the 911 for Porsche, some of the early Quattros of Audi, the early Bugattis that won almost every competition in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, the Bentleys around the era of the World War II, and most of the Lamborghinis.
Will the Santana or Audi 100 one day become icons? I think so — because they are an important part of China’s auto history. But it is up to consumers to decide which car is iconic. It is like wine. You have to taste it for yourself.
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